Anyone who knows Jim Lafeber will tell you that cars are his passion. As a kid, he loved detailing, painting and restoring vehicles. When he was 14, Jim bought his very first car with hard-earned allowance money: for the grand total of $25 Jim became the proud owner of a beat-up 1968 red Volkswagen Beetle.

From that very moment, Jim began restoration on his bug. Beginning with body work and ending with painting, he did a complete refacing and rebuilding by hand. Once the Beetle was back to like-new condition, Jim didn't stop there. He spent hours detailing this and later other pet project cars to keep them in new condition.

His love for cars continues to this day, so it was no surprise to his friends and family when he and his wife Nikki opened Simon’s Shine Shop in 2004. Located in the heart of Chicago, Simon’s was named for their beloved Alaskan Malamute, whose shedding hair (and the constant need for car washes) was the impetus behind their business venture.

Before opening Simon’s, Jim spent months researching automotive cleaning and detailing products. He talked to experts from coast to coast to ensure that he would be using the best available products. Within a very short time however, he realized that their “best” was not good enough. It was then that he decided to go out on his own to innovate products that met his stringent standards.

At the end of each day, when Simon’s Shine Shop closed for business, Jim and some of his detailing crew stayed behind to mix batches and experiment with new formulas. They did this on Simon’s resident “practice” cars, which are kept on site for training and product testing. He met with distributors, chemists, and enthusiasts to find out what would and wouldn’t work and developed products that are exclusively used at Simon’s Shine Shop.

For example, Jim heard from his crew that their hands were becoming dry and scaly after a long day of washing and detailing cars with conventional car wash soaps. Eager for results, Jim switched through popular car wash soaps in search of the perfect product. Disappointed in what he found, Jim developed a new foaming car wash soap that yielded great resultswhile protecting ther crew's hands. After seeing such great results at Simon’s Shine Shop, Jim decided that he should share these products and ideas with other car care enthusiasts through Dr. Beasley's.

As for the unique name of the company, unlike the opening of Simon’s Shine Shop, it wasn’t a dog that inspired Jim to launch Dr. Beasley’s. It was his customers. The positive feedback he received about the newly formulated products, and his customers’ interest in using them for “in between” car washing and detailing at home, motivated him to make the products available to the public. But, he and his wife Nikki certainly couldn’t let their second Alaskan Malamute feel left out, so Beasley (or Dr. Beasley, as he is affectionately known) also has a company named for him!

Jim loves to share his knowledge and passion with other car care enthusiasts, so he’d be happy to answer any questions you might have. To reach him directly, send a message to jim@drbeasleys.com.